Chapter 19: A Voluntary Concession, A Fated Battle
An hour later, the first round of matches drew to a close.
Among the top ten, Zhao Yao, Zhu Yuting, Gu Lin, Yan Shouxu, Wei Xuan, and Yan Zhengzhao had all successfully advanced into the Winners’ Bracket.
One more win, and a seeded spot was theirs.
Meanwhile, Liu Si, Li Qingwu, Wu Tong, and Li Jiuzhi had fallen into the Losers’ Bracket!
The orange-robed figure spoke sternly:
“Losers’ Bracket lottery. The loser here is eliminated outright!!”
No time was given for the defeated to recover—straight into the next round of matches.
Li Qingwu drew Li Yu, ranked eighteenth across the three preliminary events.
This time, she dispatched Li Yu cleanly, decisively, within three exchanges.
Meanwhile, Liu Si, Wu Tong, and Li Jiuzhi hadn’t drawn each other, but each still efficiently left his opponent gravely wounded.
The orange-robed figure announced before the assembly:
“Double-elimination. Five eliminated!”
Lu Pi, Li Yu, and the other three eliminated contestants, their spirits sunk low, made their way stumbling down from the platform under a barrage of watching eyes.
Only fifteen contestants remained on the field.
Next came the highly anticipated Winners’ Bracket matches.
The winner here would claim a seeded spot outright.
The Blade-Bearer continued drawing lots.
The orange-robed figure took hold of a slip of paper and announced in a voice like a great bell:
“First match: Zhu Yuting versus Wei Xuan.”
The exquisite “Goddess Wei,” her cheeks now tense, emotions churning visibly in her eyes.
She bit her lip gently and cupped her fists in a bow.
“I concede defeat!”
The moment the words fell, the orange-robed figure nodded slightly.
“Congratulations to Zhu Yuting for claiming Shiyang Academy’s seeded spot.”
Zhu Yuting remained as composed and reserved as ever, simply returning the salute with a cupped fist toward the assembled Blade-Bearers before walking off to a quiet corner to watch the remaining matches.
The Blade-Bearer drew the next lot:
“Second match: Yan Zhengzhao versus Yan Shouxu!”
There was almost no surprise here.
Yan Zhengzhao conceded voluntarily, choosing instead to save himself for the final decisive battle.
In that last round, the winner would advance and the loser would be eliminated.
Had he insisted on facing Young Master Tiger-Cub, his odds of victory would have fallen below two in ten.
Yan Shouxu returned the bow, and the entire academy erupted in thunderous applause.
Headmaster Yan stroked his long beard—though his grandson’s spotlight had been thoroughly stolen by Zhu Yuting and Gu Lin, in the end he’d still secured his seeded spot.
The orange-robed figure nodded.
“Congratulations to Yan Shouxu for claiming Shiyang Academy’s seeded spot.”
“Third lot.”
He drew out a slip and announced in a resonant voice:
“Gu Lin versus Zhao Yao!”
The moment the words fell, light flared in Zhao Yao’s eyes, and he stepped forward.
Every eye in the assembly turned as one toward Gu Lin.
Gu Lin considered for a moment, made no move to step forward, and said plainly:
“I concede.”
Fighting to the death would be unwise—even if he committed every trump card he had, victory was far from guaranteed. The gap in cultivation was simply too vast; his opponent stood on the very verge of the Cavern Mystery realm.
Better to conserve his strength for the next opponent. Securing a seeded spot was all that mattered, after all.
The orange-robed figure nodded, about to announce Zhao Yao’s claim to the seeded spot.
Suddenly—
Zhao Yao’s expression turned icy, and he spoke in a cold voice:
“You claimed the crown in martial willpower—so tell me, where is that willpower now? Cowardly, afraid to fight, without a single shred of courage or spine—do you even deserve to stand on this platform?!”
As he spoke, several of the Blade-Bearers frowned deeply.
He himself stood at Energy Condensation Ninth Tier—did he truly need to force a mere Third Tier opponent into an impossible fight?
The atmosphere both within and beyond the square shifted sharply, countless onlookers exchanging bewildered glances.
It seemed the defeat in the willpower trial had left a genuine scar on Young Master Qilin’s pride.
Was this really the graceful conduct expected of the academy’s undisputed leader, its greatest prodigy?
Never mind the six-realm gap in cultivation—when Wei Xuan and Yan Zhengzhao had conceded moments earlier, both Zhu Yuting and Yan Shouxu had simply returned their bows with respect, without the faintest trace of mockery.
“Zhao Yao!”
Deputy Magistrate Zhao’s fury blazed up, and he snapped out a sharp rebuke.
Whatever his son did in private was his own business.
But this was a grand gathering, every notable figure of the county in attendance!
The Zhao Family’s twin pillars of glory had made the family name renowned throughout Shiyang—how could he throw away even a shred of that dignity now? If this dragged Can’er into ridicule from his own colleagues in the Martial Extremity Palace, what punishment would befit such a crime, Zhao Yao?!
A shadow of gloom flickered through Zhao Yao’s eyes. It wasn’t that he couldn’t accept losing the willpower trial itself—it was that he couldn’t accept losing to some worthless failure who’d clearly taken some crooked, underhanded shortcut!
The Blade-Bearer Bureaus, to preserve their own authority, refused to admit that this surnamed Gu had cultivated some special, forbidden art immune to the sea-of-blood vision!
He himself had never once tasted defeat among his peers—how could he possibly allow this stain to remain?!
Zhao Yao fixed Gu Lin with a cold, appraising stare, unable to resist tossing out one final remark:
“You are only fit to look up at me from below. You’ve squandered your chance to ever exchange words with me as an equal—from this day forward, you’ll never even catch sight of my back again.”
Gu Lin smiled—a bright, radiant smile.
He replied at an unhurried pace:
“Should we meet at the Sacred Ground selection trial, then we’ll let our own abilities speak.”
Zhao Yao smiled too, though as he met his father’s warning gaze, he forced down the bitterness and fury churning inside him, and spoke with deliberate, clipped precision:
“If you can’t even claim a mere seeded spot, then you’ll be nothing but a laughingstock.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Ha, ha, ha—so there really was someone in Shiyang Academy who dared defy him!
The orange-robed figure announced before the assembly:
“Congratulations to Zhao Yao for claiming Shiyang Academy’s seeded spot!”
With that interlude concluded, the lottery continued.
In the Winners’ Bracket, Lin Yan’er drew Wei Yuan.
Jin Zhong drew Liu Suifeng.
This turned out to be both the luckiest and the most evenly matched pairing of all.
Lin Yan’er and Wei Yuan were essentially equals in strength.
As for Jin Zhong and Liu Suifeng—truly, fate had a sense of humor. Among the eight in the Winners’ Bracket, anyone who’d drawn one of the true prodigies besides Gu Lin faced near-certain defeat, and yet these two, evenly matched, had drawn each other of all people.
Both matches promised to be spectacular—neither side wanted to fall into the Losers’ Bracket and face a match with their very qualification on the line.
This was especially true for Jin Zhong and Liu Suifeng—a loss here might well cost either of them their seeded spot entirely!!
An incense stick’s time later, scattered droplets of blood and torn flesh marked the edges of the combat platform, a long trail of blood streaking across the ground.
Both battles proved brutal. Lin Yan’er fought through severe injury and ultimately claimed her spot.
Liu Suifeng, meanwhile, collapsed into unconsciousness—but not before kicking Jin Zhong clean off the platform in his final moment before blacking out.
The orange-robed figure announced before the assembly:
“Congratulations to Lin Yan’er for claiming Shiyang Academy’s seeded spot!”
“Congratulations to Liu Suifeng for claiming Shiyang Academy’s seeded spot!”
The Winners’ Bracket matches had concluded, producing five seeded spots—claimed by Zhu Yuting, Yan Shouxu, Zhao Yao, Lin Yan’er, and Liu Suifeng.
Five had advanced.
Five had been eliminated.
The remaining ten would now settle everything in a single decisive round, competing for the final five spots.
Wei Yuan and Jin Zhong, both gravely wounded, received emergency treatment in a corner of the platform, the Blade-Bearers sparing no expense with healing pills to speed their recovery.
Every remaining contestant besides Gu Lin now fixed their eyes on Wei Yuan and Jin Zhong.
This next round would demand a favorable stroke of luck.
Drawing either Wei Yuan or Jin Zhong would mean an eight-in-ten chance of victory!
The most anticipated moment of all had arrived. The orange-robed figure walked over to the black box and accepted the slip of paper handed to him by a fellow Blade-Bearer.
He unfolded it slowly and announced before the assembly:
“Li Qingwu.”
In that instant, Li Qingwu looked to Wei Yuan and Jin Zhong, desperately hoping to draw one of these two weakened, injured fighters.
The rest of the remaining contestants offered up their own silent prayers, hoping not to be the one drawn against her.
The orange-robed figure’s face remained expressionless.
“Gu Lin!”
“First match: Li Qingwu versus Gu Lin. The winner claims the spot; the loser is eliminated outright.”
In that instant, Gu Lin smiled.
Li Qingwu smiled too, her face blossoming like a flower.
Watching from a distance, her father Li Jisheng smiled as well, delighted that his daughter had drawn such a favorable match.
Gu Changchuan’s brow furrowed tight—he was more anxious than anyone present. Never mind that his son was outmatched by two full realms; what worried him most was whether his son’s composure might waver.
Gu Lin let his smile fade and stepped calmly onto the platform.
Li Qingwu’s smile only deepened.
She could never have imagined she’d get to personally end this surnamed Gu’s absurd, unrealistic delusions with her own two hands.
‘You think you’re fit to claim a seeded spot?!’
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